Thanks for the post! That was a great help... when I changed the strings the first time, a buzz started... so I tried the bridge back and forth trick, and now the buzz I have is ever so slight, and I am ok with that! Thanks again!
Thank you!!!!!!!! I was having buzzing on my resonator after re-stringing it last week and it was driving me mad. After watching your video I found that it was just one ball end not being seated properly. I de-tuned, pushed it into place with a pen...and no more buzzing!!
Thanks a lot! At the time I started being curious about resonators, everybody told me they were fragile and overcomplicated. Just got myself one, I'm about to open it apart to check the neck stick and I feel much more confident now. 👍
Some people over egg it. True you can spoil them and true specialist luthiers do better jobs if you need work but ultimately they are put together to a pattern and can be tweaked. If you ness up let someone skilled fix it!
Thanks. Have a phantom sound on my wood bodied, biscuit, single cone at present . . . not really a rattle. These instruments are so sweet yet so temperamental.
Exactly. They’re unique and beautiful but they are technically mechanical and like anything mechanical they fall out of whack. Weird ghost notes are often a case of the biscuit slots getting worn out of shape and the string choking in the slot. The slots need to ramp either side of where the string sits. Specialist resonator luthiers are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you for this video . thank you so much. I'm getting a clicking sound from my Mule tri cone that's beyond frustrating only seems to be happing when I play harder . I don't play with pics . when I play it softly it sounds wonderful . I love the neck and single cone cover plate ( I hate tri cone t bar covers ). I'm going to try all of these before taking it in to a shop .
thanks, resos are becoming my main guitar for all types of acoustic music . . . i saw you using 16's man that's hardcore . . . I tried 14's but found my bends were bad (used to 11's acoustic) but 13's its manageable . ..
I use 16s on the bottleneck guitar and my guitar that I tune down a whole step. Works well in both cases. Like yourself I find 13s on resonators perfect and 13 or 12 on regular acoustic to be perfect.
I don't have a rattle but would like to know what dimensions you would recommend for the string heights? I have Republic that I bought used that setup for SLIDE..current stings 13 -56...but stings are high and makes in difficult to play chords at the nut. Want to lower stings and am contemplating sanding down the saddle? Thank you enjoyed this video.
It’s down to personal preference regarding playing style, neck angle and what you can get from the neck relief. I’d always recommend a specialist luthier but understand it’s not always possible or cost prohibitive. Around 3mm at fret 12 and 1.5mm at fret 3 is a good general set up that allows for mixed fingerstyle and slide. I did a video about intonation and getting resonators in tune which covers a few points about setup. I think I might have to do a video about resonator setup and similar ideas. You can sand the saddle but bear in mind the string slots are key to allowing your resonator to work properly. I’d knock a touch off the saddle and see how it goes. Perhaps 1 or 2mm. After I might be tempted to take .5mm of the bottom of the nut and see if it works. 🎯🎯🎯
Depends if the instrument is seriously lacking. Recording Kings are generally pretty decent. The NRP hotrod cones are superior products but is it worth adding that many hundred dollars worth of parts to a guitar already OK? If you’ve got the money it can’t do any harm so long as a competent luthier does a fresh setup on the guitar. 👌🏻
Hello, i have a new resonator with tricone. The low E is out of Intonation, a also a little bit. So you have an Idea how to adjust the resonator Intonation?
There is a video about intonation that you’ll find on our channel. Not always possible on resonators unless you get one of the few resonator specialists to do a set up and make a new bridge piece. In europe you’d be contacting Mike Lewis at Fine Resophonic or Steve Evans at Beltona instruments. In the US it’s Marc Shoenbergher.
Thanks for the video. I have a question on a resonator buzz that won't go away. Mine is a wooden bodied spider bridge, single cone resonator. I noticed that I had almost no string break angle from the bridge to the tailpiece and have been told that could be a root cause of the buzz. I have tried to do under-saddle stringing and the buzzing went away partially but there is still some buzz. Do you have any thoughts about this? Thanks in advance!
You’re looking for a 13 - 17 degree string angle to get a good break angle. In order to get this and the guitar be playable it may be the case that you need a neck reset to make the guitar work at its best. Also on dobros your find that there is a screw into the cone which can be fine tuned. Too loose and it buzzes, too tight it chokes. I suspect it’s one of these two. Otherwise the cone on vintage ones can fatigue but that’s less likely.
@@TheWashboardResonators Thanks. My dobro is not vintage it is new, a custom order from Fine Resophonic made by luthier Mike Lewis. My local luthier seemed to think it was the lack of string break angle that resulted in insufficient downward tension of the strings to rid the buzz. But Mike believes it is not the string break angle issue, and it is the way he makes his dobros and he has had no issues with buzzing with his setups. Unfortunately I had the reso shipped to me halfway across the globe, so I can't visit his shop to have him resolve the buzz issues.
i just move the saddle under the tension and it clicks and goes away. how did you go about removing the saddle from the t bar? mine seems glued in hard
bebenavole Not sure I follow. The wood saddle is glued in on mine and stays put. Didn’t touch the saddle in this video. Did clean / reseat everything else which seemed to fix it. Let us know if we can advise further!
All i can say about buzzes is : do not wake up the dog peacefully sleeping if you don’t want him to start barkin. In most cases, buzz has a simple cause. Loose cover screw, ball string touching the top, cone not perfectly seated... Your advice to slightly move the bridge with a pencil (after diminishing the strings tension) is very good, but... DON’T REMOVE THE CONES ! This is, often, the best way to amplify the buzz. Don’t swap cones either, ’cause they have their own "seat" on the rim. In most cases, cone buzz disappears as fast as it comes...
I haven't checked the whole thing. The front and the thing the strings attach to seem to reduce it a little when I push on them. I suspect that something has happened with the weather. I bought a national Triolian a couple of weaks ago, and it's been fine, but suddenly it's a quite hot day, and buzzing has appeared. I'll probably have to find someone more skilled to find the issue - Australia doesn't have that many resonator players or techs.
My god, no buzz at the end of that video, but we don't really know the culprit. I assume you've just got more used to pulling them apart, but as a clumsy idiot, I'd rather let other people with good skills do that.
For me Tricones are the best. Especially wooden bodies (but that’s a separate conversation). You’re right to want one but they are monumentally difficult instruments to keep in good order. Even the ones from the good old days of the 1920s and 30s can develop issues and buzzes or never be able to put out the full tone. There are a number of issues that could develop. Let’s lust them and work through to check; 1/ cover plate tightness. Play the guitar and press the plate down. 2/ tailpiece, either touching the guitar top or the string ends not been seated right. Slacken the strings and put a piece of card between the tailpiece and guitar. Also wiggle the ball ends. 3/ Bridge and cones. The seat of the aluminium T-bar on the cones can rattle. A tiny touch of Vaseline and reseat of the whole system can take the rattle away. Also if the cone sinks then the lip of the body well can touch the inside of the cone. As per the video pushing the whole assembly a whisker can help. 4/ Bad string. I find when G & D strings get worn from fingerpicks they cause a rattle because the string is essentially choked. 5/ Trussrod. I’ve seen a friends resonator rattle and it couldn’t be located until I pulled the neck back. We found that the trussrod was loose and resonating inside the neck channel. An expensive repair but it fixed it. 6/ Loose tuners, tuner buttons, bushings and screws. Sounds odd but my old archtop developed a rattle and it took a while to locate it and find it was the tuner button. Touch of superglue and the rattle went away. Hopefully that helps to start.
@@TheWashboardResonators Thanks very much for the list. I'll keep that list handy. Funnily enough, my triolian seems to be without a rattle today. I think the high humidity and slightly hotter temperatures yesterday must have just caused the issue, though if that's the case it will probably reoccur until it's properly fixed. Really appreciate your channel. Great resource for people just getting into resonators and nationals.
@@TheWashboardResonators i agree with you , some brands have a lot of movement on the rear bridge these would take a litlle time to setup properly i think ..
Moving the bridge a touch sorted mine out. Thankyou
Excellent. Sometimes it’s all it takes.
The Washboard Resonators,sitting on the lounge with a broken ankle with nothing to do but play my resonator, your channel has been really handy
Thanks for the post! That was a great help... when I changed the strings the first time, a buzz started... so I tried the bridge back and forth trick, and now the buzz I have is ever so slight, and I am ok with that! Thanks again!
That’s good to know. They’re difficult beasts. It may need more specialist help if it continues! All the best.
Really helpful, thanks. I’m interested in the paper gaskets under your cones. Do you think that’s just regular thin automotive gasket paper?
Not a clue TBH. Seemed like thin card or thicker paper.
Thank you!!!!!!!! I was having buzzing on my resonator after re-stringing it last week and it was driving me mad. After watching your video I found that it was just one ball end not being seated properly. I de-tuned, pushed it into place with a pen...and no more buzzing!!
Perfect. You’re lucky there. These things can be endless and complex. You had the dream resonator rattle.
Great stuff Martin ,thanks for posting this stuff , its a one stop shop for everything I need to know !
Glad it all helps. It’s all we can ask for!!
Thanks a lot! At the time I started being curious about resonators, everybody told me they were fragile and overcomplicated. Just got myself one, I'm about to open it apart to check the neck stick and I feel much more confident now. 👍
Some people over egg it. True you can spoil them and true specialist luthiers do better jobs if you need work but ultimately they are put together to a pattern and can be tweaked. If you ness up let someone skilled fix it!
@@TheWashboardResonators BTW, great reso content, you won a follower ! 👍
Thanks. Have a phantom sound on my wood bodied, biscuit, single cone at present . . . not really a rattle. These instruments are so sweet yet so temperamental.
Exactly. They’re unique and beautiful but they are technically mechanical and like anything mechanical they fall out of whack. Weird ghost notes are often a case of the biscuit slots getting worn out of shape and the string choking in the slot. The slots need to ramp either side of where the string sits. Specialist resonator luthiers are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you sir! Exactly the video I needed 👌
Great! Thanks!!
Thank you for this video . thank you so much. I'm getting a clicking sound from my Mule tri cone that's beyond frustrating only seems to be happing when I play harder . I don't play with pics . when I play it softly it sounds wonderful . I love the neck and single cone cover plate ( I hate tri cone t bar covers ). I'm going to try all of these before taking it in to a shop .
Happy to help. Tricones by their nature have so much to go wrong and often need help. Have a try and see if it helps. Good luck!
thanks, resos are becoming my main guitar for all types of acoustic music . . . i saw you using 16's man that's hardcore . . . I tried 14's but found my bends were bad (used to 11's acoustic) but 13's its manageable . ..
I use 16s on the bottleneck guitar and my guitar that I tune down a whole step. Works well in both cases. Like yourself I find 13s on resonators perfect and 13 or 12 on regular acoustic to be perfect.
Thanks! Informative and helpful!
Hope it helps!
I don't have a rattle but would like to know what dimensions you would recommend for the string heights? I have Republic that I bought used that setup for SLIDE..current stings 13 -56...but stings are high and makes in difficult to play chords at the nut. Want to lower stings and am contemplating sanding down the saddle? Thank you enjoyed this video.
It’s down to personal preference regarding playing style, neck angle and what you can get from the neck relief.
I’d always recommend a specialist luthier but understand it’s not always possible or cost prohibitive.
Around 3mm at fret 12 and 1.5mm at fret 3 is a good general set up that allows for mixed fingerstyle and slide.
I did a video about intonation and getting resonators in tune which covers a few points about setup.
I think I might have to do a video about resonator setup and similar ideas.
You can sand the saddle but bear in mind the string slots are key to allowing your resonator to work properly.
I’d knock a touch off the saddle and see how it goes. Perhaps 1 or 2mm.
After I might be tempted to take .5mm of the bottom of the nut and see if it works.
🎯🎯🎯
@@TheWashboardResonators Thanks for the quick response.
Thanks a lot!
Thanks!! 🎯
10:45 THANKS!!!!
Pleasure!
I have a recoding king tricone was wondering is there any merit to upgrading the cones thanks
Depends if the instrument is seriously lacking. Recording Kings are generally pretty decent. The NRP hotrod cones are superior products but is it worth adding that many hundred dollars worth of parts to a guitar already OK? If you’ve got the money it can’t do any harm so long as a competent luthier does a fresh setup on the guitar. 👌🏻
Hello, i have a new resonator with tricone. The low E is out of Intonation, a also a little bit. So you have an Idea how to adjust the resonator Intonation?
There is a video about intonation that you’ll find on our channel. Not always possible on resonators unless you get one of the few resonator specialists to do a set up and make a new bridge piece. In europe you’d be contacting Mike Lewis at Fine Resophonic or Steve Evans at Beltona instruments. In the US it’s Marc Shoenbergher.
Thanks for the video. I have a question on a resonator buzz that won't go away. Mine is a wooden bodied spider bridge, single cone resonator. I noticed that I had almost no string break angle from the bridge to the tailpiece and have been told that could be a root cause of the buzz. I have tried to do under-saddle stringing and the buzzing went away partially but there is still some buzz. Do you have any thoughts about this? Thanks in advance!
You’re looking for a 13 - 17 degree string angle to get a good break angle. In order to get this and the guitar be playable it may be the case that you need a neck reset to make the guitar work at its best. Also on dobros your find that there is a screw into the cone which can be fine tuned. Too loose and it buzzes, too tight it chokes. I suspect it’s one of these two. Otherwise the cone on vintage ones can fatigue but that’s less likely.
@@TheWashboardResonators Thanks. My dobro is not vintage it is new, a custom order from Fine Resophonic made by luthier Mike Lewis. My local luthier seemed to think it was the lack of string break angle that resulted in insufficient downward tension of the strings to rid the buzz. But Mike believes it is not the string break angle issue, and it is the way he makes his dobros and he has had no issues with buzzing with his setups. Unfortunately I had the reso shipped to me halfway across the globe, so I can't visit his shop to have him resolve the buzz issues.
i just move the saddle under the tension and it clicks and goes away. how did you go about removing the saddle from the t bar? mine seems glued in hard
bebenavole Not sure I follow. The wood saddle is glued in on mine and stays put. Didn’t touch the saddle in this video. Did clean / reseat everything else which seemed to fix it. Let us know if we can advise further!
i meant the t bar. i move the t bar under tension and it usually goes away
bebenavole of course. Works well. Should always go towards the bridge though!
Was that a black trans tinker bell?
🪬
Dust n’ sweat. Always a killer.
Think that was the issue here. Some crusty dark mess under the cones I cleaned off. Like a dust and sweat paste. 🥴
All i can say about buzzes is : do not wake up the dog peacefully sleeping if you don’t want him to start barkin. In most cases, buzz has a simple cause. Loose cover screw, ball string touching the top, cone not perfectly seated... Your advice to slightly move the bridge with a pencil (after diminishing the strings tension) is very good, but... DON’T REMOVE THE CONES ! This is, often, the best way to amplify the buzz. Don’t swap cones either, ’cause they have their own "seat" on the rim. In most cases, cone buzz disappears as fast as it comes...
👌🏻
I haven't checked the whole thing. The front and the thing the strings attach to seem to reduce it a little when I push on them. I suspect that something has happened with the weather. I bought a national Triolian a couple of weaks ago, and it's been fine, but suddenly it's a quite hot day, and buzzing has appeared. I'll probably have to find someone more skilled to find the issue - Australia doesn't have that many resonator players or techs.
My god, no buzz at the end of that video, but we don't really know the culprit.
I assume you've just got more used to pulling them apart, but as a clumsy idiot, I'd rather let other people with good skills do that.
I really wanted a tricone, love the sound of those things...
For me Tricones are the best. Especially wooden bodies (but that’s a separate conversation). You’re right to want one but they are monumentally difficult instruments to keep in good order.
Even the ones from the good old days of the 1920s and 30s can develop issues and buzzes or never be able to put out the full tone.
There are a number of issues that could develop. Let’s lust them and work through to check;
1/ cover plate tightness. Play the guitar and press the plate down.
2/ tailpiece, either touching the guitar top or the string ends not been seated right. Slacken the strings and put a piece of card between the tailpiece and guitar. Also wiggle the ball ends.
3/ Bridge and cones. The seat of the aluminium T-bar on the cones can rattle. A tiny touch of Vaseline and reseat of the whole system can take the rattle away. Also if the cone sinks then the lip of the body well can touch the inside of the cone. As per the video pushing the whole assembly a whisker can help.
4/ Bad string. I find when G & D strings get worn from fingerpicks they cause a rattle because the string is essentially choked.
5/ Trussrod. I’ve seen a friends resonator rattle and it couldn’t be located until I pulled the neck back. We found that the trussrod was loose and resonating inside the neck channel. An expensive repair but it fixed it.
6/ Loose tuners, tuner buttons, bushings and screws. Sounds odd but my old archtop developed a rattle and it took a while to locate it and find it was the tuner button. Touch of superglue and the rattle went away.
Hopefully that helps to start.
@@TheWashboardResonators Thanks very much for the list. I'll keep that list handy. Funnily enough, my triolian seems to be without a rattle today. I think the high humidity and slightly hotter temperatures yesterday must have just caused the issue, though if that's the case it will probably reoccur until it's properly fixed.
Really appreciate your channel. Great resource for people just getting into resonators and nationals.
Moving the rear bridge will affect the intonation of the guitar ...
It will. Not enough to worry about. It’s a resonator after all.
@@TheWashboardResonators i agree with you , some brands have a lot of movement on the rear bridge these would take a litlle time to setup properly i think ..
Pretty sure every g string on ever guitar on earth rattles
Sometimes it feels this way!